Caitlin Clark set for ‘Lionel Messi-like’ offer to join Unrivaled

New three-on-three women’s basketball league preparing package that includes US$1m salary, plus equity and revenue sharing.

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Unrivaled’s eight-week debut season starts in January
Clark’s base salary in WNBA rookie season was US$76,535
Unrivaled hopes 22-year-old can drive ticket sales, TV audiences and sponsorship

Unrivaled is preparing an unprecedented offer to tempt Caitlin Clark to play in the US-based three-on-three women’s basketball league’s inaugural season, according to Front Office Sports (FOS).

The new campaign is due to tip off on 17^th January and Unrivaled has already secured the services of several high-profile Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) stars, including Angel Reese, Brittney Griner and Kelsey Plum. All-Stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, who cofounded the league, will also compete.

However, Unrivaled is now reportedly chasing Indiana Fever sensation Clark, who spearheaded a standout draft class that entered the WNBA this season and helped catapult the league to record attendances and viewership in 2024.

According to FOS, Unrivalled is poised to offer Clark not just a salary exceeding US$1 million, but also equity and revenue sharing incentives.

All players will receive equity opportunities in the league and are set to get a base salary of at least six figures. Athletes will reportedly be paid on a sliding scale, with a player’s star power and social media following set to increase earnings.

Clark’s base salary during her WNBA rookie season was US$76,535. Not counting incentives, the 22-year-old is set to make US$338,056 during her first four campaigns in the WNBA, according to Spotrac. She could eclipse that for just eight weeks’ work – the length of Unrivaled’s season. The bulk of Clark’s income comes from endorsement deals with the likes of Swoosh, State Farm, Gatorade, Wilson, Bose and Buick.

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Unrivaled did not comment on its interest in Clark, but a spokeswoman told FOS that the league “is proud to offer the highest average salary in professional women’s sports league history”.

The report comes in the same week that WNBA players opted out of the league’s current collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which was due to run until 2027. With athletes wanting their salaries lifted, the Women’s National Basketball Players Association (WNBPA) hopes to establish a new equity-based economic model that changes as the league grows its revenues.

SportsPro says…

Unrivaled isn’t the first basketball league to court Caitlin Clark. In March, Ice Cube’s Big3 tabled a US$5 million offer, among other perks, to play eight games alongside her WNBA commitments. That proposal ultimately fell on deaf ears.

It’s obvious why Unrivaled is so interested in Clark, who ranked fourth in SportsPro’s 2024 list of the world’s 50 Most Marketable (50MM) athletes and offers a broad appeal that new leagues crave.

Should Unrivaled land Clark, it will be hoping she can provide a jolt to the competition akin to Lionel Messi’s impact on Major League Soccer (MLS) when he signed for Inter Miami in 2023. Getting the Argentine superstar to commit involved a deal that included a contract valued at US$150 million, partial ownership and other financial incentives, with Apple also agreeing to share revenue from MLS Season Pass with Messi.

Clark finished one spot above Messi in this year’s 50MM. Such is her brand power, demonstrated by the commercial impact she’s already had on the WNBA, Unrivaled would surely get a bump in ticket sales and viewership for its broadcast partner TNT Sports, not to mention attract blue-chip sponsors.

In only one season as a professional athlete, Clark is now in a position where she can effectively name her price.

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